August 20, 2011

Diverse microbes in Pygmy saliva

PLoS ONE 6(8): e23352. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023352

High Diversity of the Saliva Microbiome in Batwa Pygmies

Ivan Nasidze et al.

We describe the saliva microbiome diversity in Batwa Pygmies, a former hunter-gatherer group from Uganda, using next-generation sequencing of partial 16S rRNA sequences. Microbial community diversity in the Batwa is significantly higher than in agricultural groups from Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We found 40 microbial genera in the Batwa, which have previously not been described in the human oral cavity. The distinctive composition of the salvia microbiome of the Batwa may have been influenced by their recent different lifestyle and diet.

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